Posts from Rice & Grains

Springtime brings one of my favorite farmers market treats: tiny new potatoes. Their fresh flavor is delightful in a simple potato salad, like this one, which trades in mayo-laden dressings for a lighter sauce of tangy yogurt mixed with savory miso.

I'm always looking for ways to use another spoon or two of miso; after all, we can't eat miso soup every day. (Well, I probably could, but it still wouldn't use up that miso very quickly.) So I like to sneak it into salad dressings for an extra bite of umami and savory sweetness.

The first meals alone in a foreign country are always intimidating. When I moved to a small city in central Japan to teach English for two years, onigiri was the first food I clung to. Like a life raft, these seaweed-wrapped rice balls — sort of the sandwiches of Japanese cuisine — kept me afloat in a sea of unfamiliar foods labeled in a language I could just barely read.

Made with short-grain rice, toasted nori, and a small amount of flavorful seafood, meat, or pickles, onigiri combine some of the elements of sushi, but in a more homey, comforting form. These are not the elegant creations of highly trained chefs, but the familiar, filling foods of school lunches and train trips, providing a little taste of home while on the road.

Q: I recently pulled out a bag of bulgur that had been tied up and stored in a jar, where I keep my other opened bags of grains. I know it's been there for some time, and when I opened it, I noticed some stringy, cobweb-type things hanging in there.

Somewhere very near the top of my list of things that make me happy is the ability to rely on my pantry for dinner, especially during the week. There are an array of pantry staples that have come to my rescue, but my favorite is always rice. It has its place as standby side dish, yet it's strong and versatile enough to be the main course.

Here are a few ways to turn rice from the supporting player into the star.

This week we're sharing a make-ahead dinner party menu from Ina Garten, and in our chat with her today, she talked about how simple a make-ahead menu can be — it's all in choosing recipes that are just as good made ahead. And when it comes to a dish that exemplifies that, soup is king.

Here's a delicious soup we chose as a first course. It's hearty and filling even with no meat, and Ina has a few extra tips for ways to finish it off in a special way.

Fresh corn tortillas, where have you been my whole life? They are chewy, savory, and crispy-edged in all the best possible ways. They're a warm hug for your favorite taco fillings. They will turn an average Taco Tuesday into the Best Dinner Ever. (Seriously.)

Corn tortillas are also made with just two ingredients: masa harina and water. What could be easier? You, too, can have best-ever tacos with homemade tortillas on your table tonight — here is a step-by-step recipe that explains exactly what to do.

Looking for a great quinoa salad for lunch that has lots of flavor and great texture? This is your gal, and she won't let you down. This baby is full of crisp vegetables and cashews, and smothered in a gingery-peanut sauce. Best of all? It only takes 25 minutes to make.

If you've ever attempted your favorite Mexican restaurant's rice at home and failed, raise your hand. Well, you can put it down now, because this one is my all-time family favorite and I think it will become yours, too. To be honest, I like it so much better than the rice usually served when I dine out.